I almost didn't make it! XD It's 11:22 pm still on wednesday! I've been typing like a mad woman! So if there's anything that you don't like about this chapter... blame it on the madness? :3

THANK YOU TO ALL MY LOVELY REVIEWERS! They just make me so happy *tear :'D

Enjoy!

Chapter 10 The Siren's Legend

A brief rapping at my window pulled me out of the pool of fuzzy dreams I'd been having. Rubbing the sleep out of shadowed eyes, I squinted into the morning sun, making out the silhouette perched against my window. The figure shifted when he noticed that I was awake and waited with a 'hn' as I dragged myself up to unlock the latch.

I yawned tiredly, "Good morning, Hiei."

"Hn. Am I allowed inside today?" Hiei's response almost sounded sarcastic, but it was too early in the morning for me to process that completely.

I nodded and flashed him a small, tired smile, "Yeah. Mako was supposed to have left by last night, late I think. Wait right here, and I'll go check. After I'm sure he's gone, you'll be good to go." I yawned again as I stumbled out of bed, aware of Hiei's red eyes watching me from his perch. I scavenged the rooms quickly so Hiei wouldn't have to wait long and deemed the space free. Walking into the kitchen, I quickly spotted a bright yellow piece of paper tucked under a pouch that clinked when I picked it up.

My eyes skimmed the paper quickly, an inevitable smile crossing my face.

Ren, it's about 2 in the morning now and as much as I'd love to see your face and say good-bye properly before I go, I'd hate to wake you up from your sweet dreams. The last couple of days flew by way to fast! I promise I won't be gone for as long this time; I'm working hard so I can stay home with you longer next time! I've left you some extra money, so spend it wisely. I love you, sweetheart. Love, Mako.

I giggled softly at the line of cute smiley faces he'd inserted. It's too bad that he didn't wake me up though- it would've been nice to say bye and plus, I wasn't exactly having "sweet dreams."

I sighed, grinning slightly, and threw the note away, and with the note, my worries. It was as if a large burden had just vanished with Mako, regardless of how much I loved him. The past few days had been the most stressful of my life. Granted, I was being a little over-dramatic, but with a constant grumbling fire demon lurking just outside the window, and a constantly overprotective guardian always on the lookout (and who was suspicious for whatever reason already) I'd had my work cut out for me. There'd just been no room to breathe. Between sneaking full meals out for Hiei and keeping Mako entertained with the small amount of time we'd been given, I was utterly exhausted.

There was one point where Hiei became so fed up at the thought of having to hide from an 'insignificant mortal' any longer that he marched up the stairs to the front door and had prepared to barge in and give Mako a piece of his mind -or fist, more specifically- until I'd managed to restrain him before he could make the first pound on the door, thank goodness. It'd taken a little while and a special pastry from work later that night to fully calm him down.

If I could, I'd tromp right back to bed, but I couldn't today with school in a couple of hours. Instead, I walked back to my room, feeling relieved and pleased, to let Hiei back in. To my slight surprise, he hadn't moved from the window since I'd left.

"The house is clear. You can come in now, Hiei." I smiled. I could sense Hiei's satisfaction at being allowed inside again. Personally, my guess was that it wasn't the fact the Hiei couldn't physically come inside that was so much of the problem as was the fact that he wasn't allowed to come inside, just as expected of the typical rebel. However, Hiei could hardly be defined as anything "typical."

Hiei gracefully pulled himself in with a 'hn' and smirked at me, "It's about time."

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, "Well, feel free to clean up while I prepare breakfast. Any requests?"

"Hn, not necessarily." Hiei scrunched up his face, and I reproached his look quizzically.

"What?" I asked.

After a moment, he turned away, closing his eyes, and walked past me, "Nothing."

Confused, I watched his retreating back until the bathroom door closed behind him. He'd been having more and more of those moments. I wasn't even sure how to define "those moments" and determine whether they were a good or bad thing. If I had to choose, it was just a neutral action that was peeking my curiosity; it looked like Hiei would pause to zone out and go into deep thought. And, the fact that he had taken to doing it more often lately just added fuel to my fire. Watch it Ren, curiosity kills the cat, I scolded myself with a small grin as I left to make breakfast. Lucky I'm not a cat though. I couldn't help but let Botan's face pop into my head.

I went back to the kitchen, flipping through several options for a meal in my mind. It wasn't as if it was a particularly different morning or anything, but I felt like I should make something that was… special. I had the extra time to do it with Hiei cleaning up, so why not?

I know! I was excited with triumph, picturing the future breakfast in my mind. I hope Hiei will like it! I beamed to myself and began cooking. Fortunately, this time around, I wasn't making something that would have to represent some kind of apology offering, but I wanted to make him something that he could really like to understand how thankful I was for putting up (at least to the best of his abilities [regardless if they were even his best]) with me for past couple of days when Mako had been home.

At first, it'd seemed simple enough to me for Hiei just to stay out for some time and I could let him every once in a while, but that original plan had turned out to be nothing but squat. It'd been ridiculous from the start and after placing myself in Hiei's shoes, I could only imagine how miserable being required to camp out in isolation for that long must have been. I feel like Hiei deserved some kind of consolation treat for that.

I could only hope that Hiei would understand my thanks through this meal. If this turns out as good as I'd like, maybe he'll even be able to taste it! I joked lamely to myself.

There was nothing to do but admire my finished work when I'd finally set up the last bit of my masterpiece. All in all, it was very simple and nothing too obvious, but it consisted of an entire compilation of the foods I'd noticed Hiei loved- or would tend to eat with more gusto than others. Hearing the door of the bathroom begin to creek open, I began to wonder if he would even notice, but I had to remind myself that that wasn't the point of all this. All I wanted was for him to enjoy it... Plus the fact that I worked hard to make it all. I giggled.

Hiei appeared around the corner, drying his hair, and looking very much like he did that night when I'd woken up after being carried home during the thunderstorm. Including, ahem, not including any article of clothing except for the small measly towel wrapped around his waist. My face flared bright red. Hiei strolled inside the room with his typical bored expression, clearly not thinking anything on the matter.

He paused in the doorway with a raised brow, "What's this?"

"I-it's breakfast," I wheezed, unable to rip my eyes away from his nearly naked form. Hiei eyed me strangely and cautiously walked around the table and sniffed the spread. Just as he was about to open his mouth, I stood up so fast that I almost flipped the table.

"Hiei!" I shrieked madly. He jumped backwards, completely taken aback by my scary outburst, "What the hell are you doing? Get out! Go!" I literally sprinted around the table and began pushing Hiei backwards. He was so surprised, he could only sputter bits of protest as I drove him back. I was only barely aware of the fact that my hands were on his bare chest.

"Put on some clothes for Kami's sake!" I shrieked with a final push inside a room – I didn't even know which one- and slammed the door. I leaned against it, panting heavily, my entire face in a full, blooming red. What kind of guy just walked around in nothing but a towel? Obviously, Hiei had clearly forgotten that I lived here too.

I took a shaky breath and let my pumping heart settle down.

Now to wait for Hiei to come out of the room…

~.~.~.~.~.

Of course Hiei said nothing about my special breakfast, and it's not like I could expect him to, especially after my extreme reaction this morning. But to my immense surprise, he hadn't mentioned it in some kind of cold comment or whatnot. He'd just come back, fully clothed, and settled down to eat. I even dared to think that I was home free, but I should've known better.

"So... is it any good?" I tried to sneak in the question between bites. Hiei didn't even so much as look at me when he answered.

"What in the name of all that is still sane in this world was that earlier?" he retorted calmly, but beneath his plain exterior, I could feel the boiling interior within. I eek'd quietly, but couldn't help but become defensive.

I squeezed my hands in my lap, glaring down into it and feeling the blush come over me again, "Well, excuse me. I'm not exactly used to people just strolling through my house with nothing on."

Hiei snorted, "I wasn't bare."

"You practically were!" I snapped back.

He growled and we proceeded to lock eyes in an intense glare down. I refused to blink even though I could feel them starting to burn.

Hiei scowled gruffly and hn'd, then went back to eating without looking at me. I was left staggering and struck. Although I was supposed to have been the victor from that one, I was left with the struck feeling that I hadn't won.

"Hey!" I jabbed my chopsticks in his general direction, my lethal weapons in this fight, "I'm not done with you."

Hiei's eyes flicked up for a second before he smirked, snorting slightly, and retreated back to his food (which I must observe he was eating quite heartily). He wasn't taking me seriously!

I scowled and chewed my food sulkily. Would Hiei never take me seriously?

My anger had reached its climax and now I was experiencing the bitter sting of the afterwards. My forceful chewing slowed and my scrunched face quickly drooped into a frown. I hadn't meant to blow up again. All I'd wanted was for Hiei to like the breakfast I'd made for him. That was all I had been asking for- but of course it had all gone wrong anyways.

"Hey,"

I picked my head up slowly to find that Hiei was looking at me again and I cocked my head curiously. His face had reverted back to its bored state.

"What's been bothering you so much that it turns you into this?"

My eye began to twitch in anger. This? But I didn't get to say anything before he startled me with his next words.

"For a while now, you've taken to becoming angered by the most trivial things. Frankly, I'm more than tired of your immature behavior. Koenma must really be a fool if he has not yet informed you of what I can do at my full potential," he said. I could only stare at him and wait for him to go on in surprise. Although Hiei seemed to be insulting me again, I didn't think that that's what he was getting at.

"With my full power, I could easily invade your mind and do with it as I pleased, but fortunately for you, I lost my power before I deemed it worthy of you. However, through this spirit bond that we share I've been able to sense a certain degree of restlessness coming from you at points. Particularly at night." He continued. My eyes widened; could he be sensing my dreams?

"My point in saying any of this is that it's probably best for both our sakes that you release what's been plaguing you before any more time can be wasted because of it. I could care less of course; it's merely a hassle for me." He finished promptly, leaving me in stunned silence.

"Hiei," I started slowly, thoughtful, "Are you actually concerned about me?"

Hiei's jaw clenched and his eyes became steely, "Do you need your hearing checked? I just said that I could care less."

"But that's not what it sounded like you meant," I said, an assortment of feelings tumbling around inside me.

Hiei opened his mouth to respond, but it closed like a broken hinge. Just as he was about to actually say something I shook my head.

"Thank you Hiei, really. I'm not sure if what you actually just said really does mean that you're concerned for me, in your own way, but I'm ok. But I promise that as soon as I have something that I want to confide, you'll be the first to know!" I grinned at Hiei whose face contorted into one that expressed his incredulity.

"Ridiculous fool! That's not what I was saying at all!" he yelled at me.

"Then what were you saying?"

Hiei grit his teeth and stood up, the universal symbol to express that he was a moment away from leaving, "Hn."

Hiei marched away from the table. I merely took to watching him walk away, tired from all the commotion, but I was surprised when he suddenly paused in the middle of the doorway.

After a long stretch of time and anticipation, Hiei finally turned his head to glance at me one last time.

"Thanks for the meal." He muttered before leaving the room to prepare for the rest of the day.

I blinked slowly, letting the small phrase roll through my head, and before I knew it, a beaming smile was spreading across my face.

"You're welcome." I said warmly in return although I was sure that he was too far off to even hear me by now.

~.~.~.~.~.

"Thank you! Please come again," I bowed quickly with a smile before rushing off to the next waiting table, the tray of food teetering dangerously in my hand. After serving the meal, I hurried away towards the back to get the next platter of food, but as I was moving along I shifted my head to the side, my eyes skimming the back of the room, scavenging for the all too familiar flash of red.

Hiei was sitting at the bar, his legs and arms crossed and looking utterly bored, a typical scowl decorating his face. Just like he had been only minutes before when I'd checked. I sighed and hurried along on my way.

I don't know why I was feeling so anxious, but I couldn't stop looking over and making sure that Hiei hadn't gone anywhere. And like every time before that, he hadn't moved. Even his expression was never-changing.

I shook my head, annoyed at myself. I needed to forget about him- what was I worried about anyway? The worst that could come out of anything would be from someone trying to approach Hiei, but if anything, Hiei would be the one to stay away from them, so there really shouldn't be anything to really worry about. At least that's what I kept telling myself as I bee-lined my way through the mess of tables, continually shooting brief glances over my shoulder.

It's not like I really thought Hiei would cause any trouble for the restaurant or even for me, but for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was bound to happen. There was no solid foundation to that reason either- I just figured that it would because, well, it was us.

~.~.~.~.~.

Hiei watched Ren maneuver her way throughout the small restaurant with a scowl, extremely bored and feeling grim. While she spent her time flitting from table to table, he was left in the same corner for hours every time she had to come. Hiei's scowl deepened just thinking about it. It made his blood boil knowing that he was restrained to this one spot and couldn't do anything about it either. It had become all the worse ever since the fox and detective had taken their leave to the old psychic's residence leaving him with Ren as well.

How long had it been since he'd been confined to his human dwellings? More than long enough, he thought with a growl. With each passing day, Hiei's already low tolerance and short-tempered patience continue to whither away. He'd been feeling more uneasy and he was becoming quite restless. His natural demon instinct only continued to gnaw away at him, a constant reminder of his lost power and bitter helplessness.

Not only that, but he could even feel what little strength he had left was deteriorating. His reflexes were getting slower, his vision had lost that sharpness carrying the ability to catch the smallest details, and even his sense of smell of which he had for a little while was beginning to fade away.

Hiei flexed his hands, trying to remember how even the hilt of his katana felt, looking back to when he could actually use it and go wherever he pleased. Kurama had yet to return it to him- the familiar weapon was an extension of him and even now he felt naked and vulnerable without it.

Yet as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't as if he even needed it. None of the enemy had bothered to attack recently which had left things rather dull. They might as well have left him to rot. An anxious longing had already begun to itch its way into him. It'd been much too long since Hiei had made some kind of good kill.

But as much as he missed everything else, what he yearned for even more was his jagan eye. It may have been unnatural, but it'd become another part of himself throughout the years. When his energy had been drained away, he'd lost the ability, or more, the privilege, as the jagan eye was like a separate being of its own, to use it. The jagan was noble in itself and if it were to be controlled, its user should be equally as noble. When he'd lost his powers, it had sealed up, if doing nothing but gravely wounding his pride.

He hadn't examined it thoroughly, but the fading scar marked by his heart was practically burning with the flame of his desired revenge against that first demon, Manabu, who'd essentially become one of the original sources of this whole mess. It didn't matter how powerless he was, he would enjoy the moment when he'd finally get the mongrel at the mercy of his blade.

However, the worthless creature doesn't deserve a quick death, Hiei thought with a dark smile, Rather, I think he'd enjoy meeting my dragon. The only problem now was keeping him alive till then. No one else better even dare make a scratch on the demon, unless they wanted a taste of Hiei's wrath too. No, they would do well to stay out of his way and understand that Manabu would be Hiei's, and Hiei's alone.

Then there was the problem of the girl- Ren...

Hiei caught her flashing another quick glance his way, her face tinted with worry; he'd also been feeling the constant hum of her anxiousness flow through their bond. He'd already seen her giving him similar glances throughout the evening. He arched a brow as he observed her scurrying through the chaos, as if something about just being in this room brought out her clumsiness even more.

How long would the two of them remain connected in this way? In the beginning, Hiei had never dreamed about even standing her for up to a couple of days. Now, it'd already been at least a month and he realized that he'd found himself becoming more… accustomed to it. Hiei's scowl dropped, a dark aura descending over his shoulders instead.

If only he could have access to his jagan eye for a moment to look directly into her head, would he be in the least bit satisfied. He couldn't understand her at all. First, she would get angry from the most trivial of things and then she would be smartly snapping something back when she should've been on the verge of tears. At a first glance, she had just been an obnoxious, teary-eyed mortal girl who Hiei found easy to loathe, but as he'd been forced to be by her side, she'd revealed herself to be something more… Naïve if anything else, but still.

Hiei frowned, looking down at his scarred hands… He felt angry at the sense of confusion and his lack of understanding that had come to form a vortex inside him and even more frustrated with Ren. He was so used to easily prying inside his victim's head that he had been forced to discover the hard way what things were like without his abilities- and it was driving him up the walls to no end.

The sudden strong smell of piping dishes and thick spices made Hiei scrunch his face. All he knew for sure though, at this very moment, was that he did not belong here, regardless of anything else; he had not struggled through all he had to only end up trapped here in this hell-hole. Hiei clenched his fist, lost in his own frustration and self-wallowing.

"I'm glad I guessed right when I figured you'd be here again."

Hiei snapped his red eyes on the manager lady who'd haughtily pulled up in front of him. She had a hand on her hip and was scowling lightly. Hiei glared back, angry by her obvious lack of respect.

The woman's eyes inspected him thoroughly as she approached him and he only then noticed the small plate of food in her other hand when she pulled out a chair and invited herself to sit down. Hiei was about to make a crude remark, but stopped short when she slid the plate across the bar to him.

"It's on the house," she said. He eyed it, confused, and looked back at the woman with suspicion.

"What's this?" he inquired.

However, she seemed unaffected by his rude attitude and she just shrugged and offered him a smirk, "Honestly, I was hoping it would work as a bribe to get you to leave."

Hiei gazed at her with a raised brow, "And how would this exactly do it?"

The manager sighed and returned his glared, unperturbed, "I'm not really sure- I was just hoping I could do it a way that might appeal to you."

Hiei snorted, "Obviously you lack common sense."

She cracked a brief smile, "I guess I do- at least with a bastard like you."

Hiei glared sharply, "Watch your mouth, lady. Under different circumstances, I might've enjoyed cutting out your tongue for that."

She laughed in return, standing up and smiling, "My, what a threat! How in the world did a brute like you end up with Ren? She must have been nothing but desperate- you don't deserve someone like her." Hiei began to stand up, his mind clouding over with anger, but she waved him down.

"It's none of my business what my employees do with their private lives, but I do make it my business when it interferes with mine." She flashed a sidelong glance at Hiei, "Some of my frequent customers have started asking questions about the 'scary guy' that is always sitting in the corner of the room now."

Hiei growled, "I dare you to try and do anything about it."

"It's not like you're exactly a paying customer and I've even just treated you with one of our specials for free, so you'd think that you should show a little more gratitude that I haven't tossed out your butt already. The only reason you're even still here is because of a small favor I owe Ren's dad from way back when and the fact that she's a sweet girl as it is, but I can easily overlook that if you venture to pressing on the wrong buttons, m'kay?" she grinned at him and began to turn around, laughing.

"I'll leave you to it then. Oh, and stay around for a little while longer after we start closing up. I'd like a word with you then." She waved a quick farewell before he could reply and rushed off to attend to the nearest group of customers.

Hiei bared his teeth and glared at the plate of food, regardless of the tantalizing smell being wafted into his face. If he'd been frustrated before, he was livid now. He wanted nothing more than to just vanish into one of his favorite trees somewhere far from here, but of course, he couldn't. He exhaled sharply and slammed his fists down on the bar, startling more than a few of the people around him, including the bartender who'd even been getting used to his constant presence.

"Damn humans," he muttered under his breath, reaching for the nearest pair of chopsticks.

~.~.~.~.~.

I shut the door behind me and strolled over to meet Hiei, who'd taken to leaning against the brick wall to wait for me. Tightening my mother's ribbon in my hair, I smiled at him.

"Ready?" I chirped, pausing beside him.

He smirked, "Hn, I have been for several hours."

I chuckled, "Yeah, I should've figured; let's get going. Are you hungry?"

The back door suddenly swung open behind us and we paused, curiously looking over our shoulders. The manager leaned against the frame, a smug look plastered on her face. Baffled, I instantly tried combing my memories of the night through, wondering if I had done anything wrong.

"I could've sworn I asked you to wait after for a word, didn't I?" she chortled, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

I cocked my head in confusion, "Ma'am?"

But Hiei scowled beside me, "It must have slipped my mind." I looked from the manager to Hiei and back.

"What's going on?" I asked nervously. The tension between the two was thick in the air, but I could sense something else behind it. It almost felt challenging, like there was some kind of tricky exchange passing between them.

The manager cocked her head, flashing a knowing smile, "I just had an offer for your boy over there."

"An offer?" I was even more confused, but Hiei's expression had shifted to something of interest.

"Mind giving me your name first?" she asked.

Hiei studied her with narrowed eyes, "It's Hiei. Now state your business with me or we'll just take to leaving."

"Tch, touchy. Alright then, I can't believe I'm still going to offer this, but how would you feel about working here part-time? Kami forbid, you won't be going near any of the customers, but I'll give you simple work and you can work the same hours as Ren. I figure that if you're going to be taking up space all the time anyways, you might as well be doing something useful. What do you say?"

My eyes widened. Hiei working? Under orders? I glanced at him in bewilderment, positive that he would decline the crazy idea right away. However to my even greater surprise, I could see that his mind was turning, toying with the idea. After a brief silence, he even smirked.

"You're crazy, lady. I don't exactly work well under orders." He shrugged, supposedly closing the case on the matter.

The manager rolled her eyes, "Don't be so full of yourself, kid. Like I said, you should be grateful." She pulled out a small bundle that she'd been holding off to the side that I hadn't noticed before and tossed it unceremoniously towards us. Hiei caught it in surprise as she continued.

"Your shift will start as soon as you step into my restaurant the next time you come, so I'm leaving you with two options. Either stay away from here or expect to work the moment you set a foot in here again. Then again, it'd probably be best if you just never came back- you'd probably be a terrible worker anyways." She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in. I started to feel Hiei's frame shake beside me.

Then she tapped her chin and looked at me happily, "Oh and thanks for all your work today Ren, the customers love you. See you tomorrow!" And with a final bright smile, she slammed the door shut, leaving us stunned to silence in the dark.

I looked at the bundle she'd tossed to him and gaped at the navy work uniform.

"She was serious?" I exclaimed quietly after a dragging clip of silence, "Hiei?"

When Hiei started laughing out of nowhere, though, was when I really became concerned, "Ha! I'll show that human fool how 'terrible' of a worker I can be. I think I will take her offer- if not, but to show how idiotic she really is." Hiei chortled evilly to himself and started to walk away, leaving me to stare after him in absolute horror, my face pale.

He was really going to take her bait just like that? Had Hiei actually ever worked before? By the way he was acting now, I highly doubted it. I held my head which had suddenly started to pound.

There's no way, I thought despairingly to myself, that this can end in anyway other than disaster.

~.~.~.~.~.

Tatsuya strode down the short aisle, responding to the sudden call of Asami. Looking around, he noticed that practically all of them had been called. Kuro and Shiro were already there and waiting. He spied Aya and Itsuki idling a bit away from them, almost surprised to see them- he hadn't heard from them in a while. And last but not least, Manabu- as always- was posted below Asami's regal throne, looking down on them all with his purple eyes. The only one that he could tell was missing, was Asami herself.

As he came into the middle of the group, the other took notice of him.

"Does anyone know what this is about?" he grumbled, annoyed. He'd been busy with other matters and Asami's random summons had thrown him off guard.

Aya purred sleepily and threw an irritated look at him, "No one here is sure. We just got here too."

"Oh? That surprises me. I haven't seen you or Itsuki in a while. What've you been up to lately?" Tatsuya pried challengingly.

Itsuki remained passive while Aya hissed in return, "I don't exactly like your tone, Tatsuya. It's not like we've just been twiddling our thumbs on the side. Asami assigned us a specific task to work on. Itsuki and I have been quite busy with gathering all the data we could get our paws on."

Tatsuya pursed his lips, "And how's that faired?"

Aya bared her fangs slightly, but Itsuki was the one to answer, softly, "We haven't been able to find much."

"That sucks." Kuro chimed in, strolling over to join the group, Shiro dawdling right behind him.

"No one asked you." Aya snapped. Kuro released a ferril grin, his eyes glowing.

"Oh, does the cat want to play?" he taunted, dangling his scythe side to side. Aya hissed visciously, razor sharp claws exposed.

"This cat has claws, so I'd watch my mouth if I was you, Kuro."

"Enough of this." The chilling voice made all heads turn as Asami glided down the hall. Her shock-blue eyes caressed each face in the room slowly, her pale and exposed skin shimmering in the dim light. A rich and graphic kimono rippled behind her, loose around her shoulders. Images of blood and gore were beautifully stitched into the fabric, truly a thing of art and horror. It suited her perfectly, Tatuysa thought with a grimace.

They didn't move until she'd reached her chair. She murmured a few words to Manabu who nodded with a low "yes" before she settled into the chair.

"Now I hear that you haven't found anything of importance. Is that certain?" she inquired with a hint of disdain. Aya's ears flattened slightly against her head, but she tried to stand firmly and look Asami in the eye.

"No, Asami. Itsuki and I have yet to find anything that would aid us in our mission." Aya couldn't help but draw back slightly under Asami's diminishing gaze.

"How unfortunate. However, I predicted this sort of incompetent performance from you and I went ahead and asked Manabu to find something useful."

Aya raised her arms in protest, "But my lady, that wasn't necessary. If we had a bit more time, then we most certainly would have-"

"Would have found nothing anymore useful than you already have with your shallow abilities." Asami finished smoothly and Aya dipped her head, resembling a wounded animal, "No, Manabu has provided me with enough information for me to actually draw from which is much more than I can say about you, and with his information we may actually have a lead. Tatsuya, how has your own assignment been going?"

Tatsuya scowled slightly. Ever since the "coincidental" hospital visit, Ren had been giving him an exclusive cold-shoulder treatment regardless of what he tried to do or say to make her forgive him. She had formed a grudge and was holding on fast. As Ryuu, he couldn't even get near her and as he was now, he could only examine her from afar.

"It hasn't been very fruitful either. There's only so much I can get her to say."

Asami frowned, "All this news grieves me. I had expected much better from all of you. It almost leads me to believe that most of you don't have any use." She began to clench her hand.

The red marks lining the skin of Kuro, Aya, and Itsuki's neck began to glow and the room was suddenly echoing with howls of pain. Aya had dropped to all fours and was twitching and exclaiming in an unseen torture, Itsuki beginning to writhe silently but obviously just as much in pain. Shiro was worriedly bent over Kuro who'd been forced down to his knees and was grunting with pain, having bit his tongue to keep most of the screams at bay. Tatsuya forced himself to keep his gaze trained on Asami, trying to block out the tortured cries. Manabu's own neck wasn't glowing, but he appeared unfazed, his eyes stony.

When Asami finally released her clenched hand, the three were left gasping, still doubled over with a ghostly pain. Asami looked at all of them coldly.

"Next time I won't be so forgiving. Now, I have some important information I need to share with you all. It determines our next course of action."

~.~.~.~.~.

I'd never been more caught off guard in my entire life. Almost two weeks had already passed since my manager's ridiculous offer for Hiei and there was nothing else to admit, but that he was doing a pretty good job. He'd come with me the very next day as always, and as promised, he was put to work. Of course at first, he hadn't been anything but hostile and sarcastic when she tried to put him to work at different jobs, but he'd eventually been least resistant to washing dishes and that's where he stayed.

Fueled by the manager's constant sarcastic remarks and her original comment of him not being a good worker, each dish came out ridiculously shiny and clean. Frankly, it was one of the most hilarious things I'd ever seen happen, it being Hiei no less. If anyone had ever told me that Hiei would resort to "degrading" work, as he put it, as this, I would've stared at them like they'd grown two heads. But I would've been forced to eat my own words because as I was serving this instant, he was in the back washing dishes like there was no tomorrow.

I hadn't felt this relaxed in weeks! With Hiei occupied in the back, I was free of worrying of what other customers could think since they didn't interact with each other at all except for the few times he had to come out and clear away some of the dishes when the custodian's hands were full and as long as I knew where Hiei was, which he barely even went anywhere, it only added to my comfort. Of course, every time someone would even look at him, he or she would be shot with one of his infamous glares, but I was ok with that, so long as he kept out of trouble for the most part.

It was near closing time and only a few more parties were still eating and even they were almost finished. It had been an easy night, and I hadn't even tripped once. If we were lucky, the entire restaurant would clear out soon and the manager might even let us leave early. I had also planned to take out some of the leftovers from tonight's special for us to enjoy later, but the moment the next customer walked in and I turned to say "welcome," the automatic smile that was supposed to form, immediately turned to one of disbelief and only further deepened as Ryuu casually strolled to an empty table and I knew that any plans to enjoy later had just been tossed out the window and pounded into dust.

The moment he caught sight of me, those white teeth lifted into an incredible, all-knowing smirk. The slow trek to my own personal hell was slow and motorized and I could only wish that it had lasted a bit longer before I was standing beside the table. Ryuu casually rested his head on his arm.

"Ren! Wow… this is a surprise." He exclaimed with feigned surprise. I couldn't believe this was really happening- had he really just come to eat here, of all places, by random coincidence?

"Good evening, sir. May I recommend our special?" I said mechanically through a clenched jaw. Ryuu frowned and tried to look sad, although his green eyes glittered with obvious amusement.

"Ouch, not even a hello? Don't tell me you're still that mad at me? You've treated me so coldly for the past couple of weeks… haven't you ever heard of forgetting and forgiving? I already forgot about it a while ago." he blinked at me with puppy eyes. I stared back, trying to keep as blank a face as possible so as to prevent anything else from showing.

"Your order, sir?" I pressed coldly.

Ryuu rolled his eyes and fluttered a menu in my face, "Here, just get me a glass of water. I'm not really hungry." I yanked the menu from his fingers, enraged. Then what the heck are you doing in a restaurant in the FIRST PLACE!

He started speaking before I was able to escape, "So, speaking of forgiving and forgetting, where's Hiei? I don't think I've seen you once without him being at most five feet away from you. Don't tell me you actually took my advice?"

I tried keeping my tone polite, but it was clipped, "He isn't here right now."

Ryuu's smile was replaced with a frown and I was surprised when his entire exterior seemed to sober and the amusement dancing in his eyes was replaced with seriousness, "Oh really?" I swallowed, suddenly nervous with this new side.

But then almost as quick as he changed, he reverted back to being amused and he looked up at me with a knowing twinkle, "Ah! I should've known better than to believe you. Speak of the devil himself."

The color drained from my face as I turned to look at what Ryuu was pointing towards. Hiei practically was the devil himself. He was staring straight at us from across the room, the black tub he used for picking up dishes beginning to tremble in his hands. His eyes were alight with the very fires of hell. I gulped, eyeing the pile of dirty dishes that needed picking up beside Ryuu's table.

The feeling of despair I'd had the moment Hiei had received his job offer - that had disappeared over the course of time- was back as if it had never left and only started to expand, like a dark, deep black hole.

"Hey Ren, how about that water?" I felt Ryuu tap my arm briefly and I had to bite my tongue to not say anything. Forcing myself to walk away, I desperately tried to connect with Hiei through our bond. Just ignore him, Hiei! Please ignore him! I was wishing with all my might, but I couldn't help but feel that Hiei wasn't listening to me at all. I disappeared into the kitchen with one last glance behind me of Hiei and Ryuu locked in a crackling stare down.

There was no time to waste- I tried to find a glass of water as fast as I could, but when I finally got my hands on one, my hands were shaking with the sudden adrenaline rush so badly that I dropped it. Several of the cooks tried coming to my aid, but I could only shake my head and try to brush them off. Every moment wasted back here, was another moment towards imminent chaos.

Finally, I forced my hands to still and took the time to slowly and agonizingly fill the glass, but when the first shatter splintered the air, my heart dropped like a stone, the water instantly forgotten. Tossing it into a sink, I sprinted out just in time to see Hiei deliver a solid punch across Ryuu's jaw. And imminent chaos erupted.

The air was filled with the screams of guests as I tried to rush towards the two boys who'd already become lost in their rage. Hiei was sent tumbling back, knocking over spare dishes, tables and chairs as Ryuu upper-cutted into his stomach. Grabbing onto the nearest object, a flower vase, Hiei immediately sent the floral piece flying towards Ryuu who ducked just in time, the vase exploding on the wall behind him, sending bits of porcelain in different directions.

"Hiei!" I screamed, trying to get their attention in anyway I could, "Ryuu! Stop!" But if they heard me or not, it didn't matter because the china and punches just kept flying.

A thin trail of blood leaking from his nose and a small cut on his cheek, Hiei managed to land a solid kick to Ryuu's stomach sending him sprawling across the floor. It was the only chance I had, and I literally dived for it. Wrapping my arms around Hiei, I clung to him tightly, letting the electric waves flow over us.

"Hiei you have to come back to your senses! Please stop!" I pleaded with all my might, my eyes squeezed shut; it was as if I was holding onto him for dear life.

After a long, scary moment, I was afraid Hiei would keep fighting me, but when he finally seemed to realize who I was, he slackened in my arms. I let go, coming around to face him.

"Are you ok? You need to stop… Hiei?" I took his face in my hands, searching for any more wounds, my eyes finally flicking to meet his. His wild gaze found mine and for a moment, his eyes were still filled with anger and untamed rage, but recognition eventually took their places. I pulled down my hands.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" the screech pierced my being and all faces in the room whipped to face my purple-faced manager. Her entire body was overcome with waves of rage as she surveyed the destruction, her pupils dilating. She spotted Ryuu who was picking himself off the floor and roared, stomping towards him and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"Out!" she bellowed and forced him out the front, slamming the door with a loud bang.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Hiei had taken to reverting to his expressionless face, but I was shaking with the fear of what was about to happen, what was coming. She didn't even have to look at us.

"I think… you two should go." I barely heard her whisper.

I was on the verge of tears now, but I forced them back, "It wasn't Hiei's fault… he was instigated. Please, maybe we can work this out-"

"I think you should go now." She reinforced firmly.

What had just been an illusion of things looking up, had just shattered like the pieces of china littered all over the floor. I looked down, swallowing back my tears, feeling myself go numb.

"…It's alright- I needed a better wage anyways," I stumbled over a chair as I tried to walk back. I could feel Hiei saunter behind me as I somehow made my way through the kitchen, leaving the silent crowd behind us, and finally out the back door.

And then I was sprinting, not knowing where I was going and totally overcome with sinking despair. Right now, I just wanted to get away from it all, just go somewhere and escape.

But the gold chord that repeatedly glowed as I ran was the bitter reminder that I might not be able to ever again.

~.~.~.~.~.

I was panting heavily by the time I slowed down, collapsing to my knees. The night breeze felt cool against my hot skin, and the constant hum of water soothed my nerves. Drops sprinkled onto my skin and I looked up. Somehow I'd managed to find my way all the way into the park and by the fountain. The bond that had been glowing for a while now, soon faded.

I stayed there on the ground, just gazing at the fountain for what felt like a long time. I'd never realized how beautiful it was in the dark. Special lights circled the inside and illuminated the streams of water that would shoot up in timed intervals. The white, carved face of the siren was even more angelic in the moonlight, but with the light, the shadows were all the more dark.

A soft padding of footsteps behind me made me sigh. I was exhausted and felt like an idiot.

"Yes, Hiei, I know. I'm an idiot." I stated simply, wanting to avoid breaking the peace of the moment the fountain's beauty had created. It was like it had casted some sort of magical spell, and I was seeking the comfort it was giving me now more than ever.

Hiei didn't say anything for a long time. And then:

"Hn, it's good that you don't need me to tell you then."

I wanted to laugh out loud, but I resolved myself to chuckling softly. His answer had been so typical; I shouldn't have expected anything less. We settled into a blue silence.

"…I'm sorry."

With those words, my magical spell was broken and, being free of whatever had had me transfixed, I slowly turned around with wide eyes.

"What?" I couldn't have heard right.

Hiei was slightly turned away from me, his hands pocketed and his eyes slightly downcast, "I said I was sorry. For what happened… and what I did."

I blinked. After I didn't answer, he finally shifted to looking at me, but I continued blinking. He growled.

"Are you deaf or something? I'm trying to apologize and all you're doing is looking at me with your mouth hanging open like a fish!"

I continued staring at him and innocently put my hands up, "Oh no, don't get angry. I'm sorry- I think I just went into total shock. That was… one of the last things I'd ever think you'd do." I managed to crack a smile, "You're always leaving me guessing, Hiei. I can never figure you out." I even laughed a little.

"Don't worry, you don't have to apologize. I'm not really mad at you. If anything, I'm angry at myself."

"Hn."

My smile was getting bigger and I paused, thoughtfully gazing at the fountain again, "You know what, it's alright. Of course, maybe you could've restrained yourself a little, but no worries! Life goes on," I had to laugh at my feeble attempts to be optimistic, but strangely enough, I was feeling a bit better, "It's funny, Hiei, how a few words from you can make me go from the bottom back up. It doesn't make much sense."

"That doesn't make any sense at all," he huffed and I smiled. The fountain water gurgled soothingly in the background.

"Say…" I began, picking myself up and going to sit on the edge of the fountain, running the tips of my fingers along the water's surface, "Did you know that there's a legend behind this fountain?"

Hiei walked up to join me, standing at the edge and just gazing at the two statues, "A legend?"

I nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah… Mako used to take me to this park all the time when I was younger and he was around more. I can't believe I still remember it; it's been so long…" I took Hiei's lack of response as encouragement to continue.

"I'll say sorry in advance- I'm not nearly as good a story teller as Mako, but I'll try my best." Hiei hn'd and I giggled slightly, climbing up onto the side of the fountain.

"The siren's legend begins just as many stories do, as it took place a long time ago, eons and eons back, managing to escape pages of history and memory. There once was a siren that lived alone in the ocean- she was infamous for her unworldly beauty and equally beautiful voice and the village men often found themselves longing for at least one glimpse and one sound of her rumored loveliness. But what those same villagers never thought as important to think about, being so blinded with the thought of such beauty, was the fact that sirens were known to prey on men, and used the very song they thought beautiful to lure them. Every time a man would wander out in the open by the sea, the siren would lock eyes with the man and he would become her prey. And this went on for a long time.

"But one day, the men finally stopped coming to the beach once the fear of being eaten had finally registered through their shallow desires and the siren was left completely alone. She waded around in her loneliness for a long time, and after months of starving, she was surprised one day when another man suddenly came to the beach. Excited at the thought of a meal, the siren immediately set out to get him, singing as she had many times before, but just as she was about to meet his gaze, she suddenly found herself in grave danger, having lost her special touch. She quickly lost consciousness and began to sink to the bottom of the ocean.

"However, that day would not be her last as she thought it would. When the siren regained consciousness, she found herself in the arms of the same man she had been about to feast on and locked onto his eyes. Normally, the siren would have thought nothing and proceeded to take him, but something about his gaze made her insides churn and her heart begin to pound like they never had before. Thinking that she had become ill, the siren squirmed out of the man's grasp and fled into the ocean. But the man would not be deterred, for he had been the first one to see the siren's true beauty and survive, and he had fallen madly in love with her.

"Determined and persistent, he returned to the beach everyday to try and see her again, and while at first the siren only watched him from afar, little by little she approached the shore. And then when the day that she finally reached him came, the siren saw his tender, loving eyes once more and she realized that she was not ill, but had also fallen in love. For a moment, everything washed away and they were happy.

"But along the way, that moment ended, as the siren realized that they could never truly be together because of what she was and what he should have been to her and in an effort to protect him, she didn't return to him for a long while after telling him why. Regardless, the man kept coming back everyday she wasn't there, always telling her that he was willing to sacrifice himself if it need be. But she was not to be deterred and stayed away for the sake of her love. But even she had to succumb to nature at one point.

"One day, she became so hungry that she instinctively started to sing. Like all others, the man was quickly enraptured and lured by her voice. The statue represents the moment, frozen in time, when the siren was singing and the man was about to go to his death. That's why her face, although beautiful, is carved with sorrow, the man blindly following the voice to where he might find his beloved."

I looked down at Hiei when I finished only to find him grimacing at me. Confused, I asked him what was wrong.

"What happened then?" he asked.

"What happened?" I repeated, still confused.

He motioned towards the statue, obviously annoyed that I didn't understand him the first time, "In the legend- it can't just end like that."

I stared at him curiously for a second then raised my hand to hide a smile, "Well, I believe that there are two endings: in one ending, she continues to sing and he sacrifices himself for her, but in the other she forces herself to stop singing, thus saving his life, but then sacrificing her own and starving to death. I know, they're not exactly… happy endings."

Hiei growled, "Hn, I don't need the variations; I just want to know the true ending."

I closed my eyes, letting the mist wash over me, "Hm… I think that's something you should decide for yourself."

"Hn." I watched in my peripheral vision as Hiei's hand snaked its way to clench a small object hanging around his neck. I unconsciously bent closer, intrigued.

"Hey, what's that? It kind of reminds me of a tear drop." I cocked my head, trying to see it between his fingers.

Surprised by my sudden closeness, Hiei snapped away from me, obviously taken off guard. I didn't move, afraid that I'd make him angry, but I watched him as he slowly relaxed, but continued to eye me.

"Hn… it belonged to my mother." He stated simply, looking away.

I gasped softly, my eyes softening, "Your mother?" I scratched my face, feeling a bit silly, "I'm not going to lie- it's kind of weird; I know it sounds dumb, but I think it sounds strange to think that you have a mother, mostly because I just can't picture you as a son. What's she like?" I inquired.

He took a long time to answer, "She died before I could ever meet her."

"Oh…" the mood turned somber, but I managed to give Hiei a soft smile, "It's beautiful though."

"Thank you." He replied quietly.

On a whim, I gently began to pull on the silky ribbon that was holding up my hair and let the usually done-up locks spill around my shoulders and down my back. It felt strange to say the least, but I smiled as I held it up the ribbon in the soft glow of the moon.

"I think I've mentioned it before once. This ribbon used to belong to my mother too. I never met her either; she died a long time ago." I swallowed a small knot that had formed in the back of my throat. I wasn't supposed to be making myself sad! Hiei had just shared something personal of his, so I thought it would be only fair to share something equally as personal in return.

"This is the only thing I have of her, if you don't count Mako of course, but that's being pretty general." Hiei watched me as I caressed the small piece in my hands, "I always where it wherever I go because Mako tells me that it's how she used to where it. I guess it's kind of dumb, but I figured that if I wore it like that too, I could be somehow closer to her."

"Hn, that is kind of dumb." Hiei snorted.

I scowled down at him, clenching my hand around the ribbon, "Hey, I'm not judging you. Don't be judging me! It's not any of your business anyhow." I huffed, but I was startled when I found myself looking into a pair of thoughtful red eyes. I don't think I'd ever seen them so tranquil before.

"It's true that it's none of my business and it's not in my intentions to make it, but I don't think that you need to continue to wearing it up like that. In a way, trying to be like her is only keeping you from being yourself. Besides," he paused, his eyes flickering.

"You should wear your hair down more often- it looks nice."

My heart skipped a beat.

Eyes wide and shining, I gazed down at Hiei in an utter stupor, the ribbon nearly forgotten in my hand, "Hiei…"

He rolled his eyes at me, "Nevermind, forget any of what I said. Come on, we should get going."

After a moment, I smiled and nodded in agreement, "Right."

I made the jump to step down, but as soon I moved something felt weird. My foot had caught a slicker part of the stone and the next thing I knew, the world was turning sideways. My eyes became as wide as saucers and I instantly began lashing out for anything that could possibly save me, the water rushing up fast for impact.

I noticed Hiei's own wide and bewildered eyes as I managed to grasp the front of his shirt and gasp his name for help, before we were both plunged into the icy water. I was surrounded by a fiasco of splashing and whirring until I was finally able to pull my head out of the water, choking on some of the hair that I'd managed to suck in as I tried to breathe. A chaotic series of splashing and sputtering beside me suddenly exploded into Hiei's head as he too emerged from the water.
I looked at him and then looked at me, in all our soaked glory, from his hair that actually followed gravity's rules for once and my chattering teeth, and I exclaimed a big guffaw, and without hesitation, I took advantage of his confusion to pull him back in a second time.

It was the hardest I'd laughed in a long time, and I was still laughing even after he finally managed to drag me out since I was having so much I didn't want to leave. And although he was denying it pretty well, I know I had seen Hiei crack a smile and even let out a small bark at least once or twice. But I'd let him win this one; it didn't matter anyways, since I knew what I saw/heard.

A jolt of warmth trailed up my arm as he accidentally knocked elbows with me, and although he drew away, I was left feeling much more warm and fuzzy than before, which made it a little easier to ignore the icy clothes that clung to my skin. And even long after I changed and told him goodnight, I still couldn't drop my smile.

Thank you, Hiei.

YES! I still made it *epic pose look into the sunset

:D Please review and let me know what you thought? :3 Please please please? xD

Till next time!

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